


Better Left Unsaid

by van_daalen



Series: The Hound of New Vegas [2]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Angst, Major Character Injury, Other, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 10:28:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11757921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/van_daalen/pseuds/van_daalen
Summary: When Benny and his cronies made the mistake of shooting the Courier, they changed the course of the Mojave forever. But none will ever know the details of how it all started. After all, only the Courier still lives to speak of that fateful day, and if you ask them... some things are better left unsaid.





	Better Left Unsaid

    As far as events go, few have been as defining as the moment a New Vegas slicker decided to shoot a soft spoken courier. Yet, as far as historical icons go, the since-titled Hound, the Future’s Messenger, the _Beast_ , has been unnervingly quiet about their ordeal. Countless folks have asked about it, but none have gotten a solid answer. Some, unsurprisingly, have tried to get more details out of those who witnessed it. But none want to visit the Khans, and none have managed to get anything out of the citizens of Goodsprings. Neither Trudy nor Sunny, Pete nor Doc, Chet nor any others, are willing to speak of the courier’s death and subsequent return. They don’t ever give a reason, but most can infer that the townsfolk desire to protect their own… including the mysterious Hound.

    Even those that travel with them know little of the incident. They are, of course, aware of it, and of the countless effects it had on the courier. But they don’t know the circumstances of the injury, only that asking about it is a pointless matter. Still, that doesn’t stop them from quietly discussing the possibilities with each other from time to time, as long as the Hound wasn’t nearby. And who could blame them? One had to wonder how anyone had managed to get the massive courier bound, gagged, and buried. Their companions had seen them bitch slap a deathclaw (and be slapped in return) and get away just fine. How had a couple of druggies and a suit with brains, not brawn, managed to take them down?...

    The truth of that matter had evidently died with Benny. After all, it seemed like the Hound was willing to speak of literally anything _but_ the cause of their brain injury. As with so many events, in both the mojave’s and the greater world’s histories, it would only ever be told in memories, flashbacks, and terrifying consequences.

* * *

 

    “Don’t worry, I’ve walked the north road dozens of times. I know most folks don’t trust the Khans, but I helped one of them out awhile back- they’ve been good to be ever since. Downright pleasant, really. We’ll be fine,” Cassus chimed, giving their companion a gentle pat on the back. Their words, for once, didn’t make Diana feel terribly assured. But that’s what the half a dozen weapons between the two of them were for. Neither of them had ever met any creature that couldn’t be killed, assuming one had enough firepower.

    “Damn you and your _‘positive outlook on life’_ , Cassus,” Diana joked, taking a quick moment to adjust the straps of her backpack. It wasn’t necessarily that heavy, at least compared to those she wore on previous delivery runs, but they had already been walking for several hours, and the bag was starting to irritate her shoulders. Thankfully, at least for her pride, Cassus had yet to offer to carry it for her. “Next thing I know, you’ll be saying that deathclaws are actually misunderstood dogs, fiends can be saved with hugs, and _I’m_ the most pleasant company you’ve ever had.”

    “Oh, c’mon, Diana! You may not be the brightest of stars, but you still shine in my eyes,” the giant replied, flashing her a crooked smile. She scoffed, then laughed, turning her head away as to not let her blush show. Usually her old ranger helmet would take care of that for her, but it had felt a little too hot outside to wear it. So there she was, cheeks as red as could be, having to gaze off into the distance to make sure that her lover, of all people, didn’t know that she was blushing. It made her feel silly, as love often did. “Is it hot out today? I can hardly tell with you around, but _damn_ , my cheeks sure do feel red!” Cassus said after a few moments, letting her know that she had been caught. Again.

    No matter the circumstance, Cassus always seemed to be able to read her perfectly, to notice every little detail. It’s part of why the two of them had gotten together in the first place. Even though Diana had trouble with opening up to others, she knew that Cassus would understand her, sometimes better than she understood herself. The fact that they were adorable was, of course, a bonus. It certainly made the long journeys across the mojave easier.

    And as much as their teasing ‘bothered’ her, it had never caused any trouble, at least until the one time her looking away became the difference between life and death.

    Hours had passed since they had left Primm, putting them past Goodsprings, and they had stopped for just a few minutes to gather wild plants. Unsurprisingly, Cassus had decided to start comparing the beauty of some of the nicer flowers to Diana. Once more she had blushed and looked away. Her partner’s attention hadn’t even directly been on her, yet she had still turned out of habit, out of instinct. In the end, the handful of seconds where her gaze wasn’t locked on the road they had traveled on proved to be her undoing.

    Men had, apparently, been tracking the duo for a few miles. Everything would have turned out alright if they had just been some lowlife bandits. Both Diana and Cassus were used to fighting raiders, both having kill counts in the high hundreds, both used to the smell of dirt and drugs. But these men weren’t common trash in the slightest- at least one must have been a gunslinger of sorts, seeing as he managed to shoot Diana’s good hand from quite a distance. That action, unbeknownst to any of them, would lead to a wasteland revolution. One hand to wonder if he still would have fired if he had known.

    Whether or not he would have didn’t matter, however, seeing as there was no way for him to go back and change his mind, or undo the pulling of the trigger. What was done was done, and the entire mojave would end up paying for it. First would be Diana. A yelp would tear forward from her lips, piercing the sky, and her rifle would tumble from her hands. Instantly her lover would whirl around, just in time to watch another few rounds strike her. Now it was Cassus’ turn to yell, panic lighting up their eyes as they tumbled forward, moving to block Diana’s body from further attacks.

    “You’re gonna be fine, love, don’t worry, I’m here, yeah? I ain’t gonna let you fade,” they whispered, ignoring the impact of bullets against their armor. If not for their lack of headgear, they would have been a humanized tank, clad in enough protection for two or three people. But Diana wasn’t as lucky. She had always preferred to travel light, taking agility over endurance. The gear she wore had done little to reduce the damage caused by the bullets. Already blood was staining her fatigues crimson, spreading too far, despite the heavy hands keeping pressure on them. For the first time in years she was genuinely afraid… even if she didn’t make it obvious.

    Still, Cassus knew, as they always did.

    “Shit, babe, don’t bother keeping me safe, alright? Get to cover, keep your head down, _please_ ,” Diana said, trying to push them away. Even if she had been at full strength, the motion would have done nothing, and she knew it. When they wanted to be, Cassus was an immovable object. Sometimes that had proved to be a good thing… but now, Diana was certain it would lead to their death. So she spoke again, this time harsher, the sound of approaching footsteps making her chest tighten. “Go! For the love of God, Cassus, put yourself first for once in your fucking life!”

    Scowling, Cassus started to protest, only to feel something heavy slam into the back of their head. It only managed to irritate them, and they whirled around, gun raising, and quickly shot the perpetrator. They were fast enough to aim for a second man, but not fast enough to outrace the bullet speeding for their forehead. And, just like that, the giant fell backwards, landing with a thud that would soon shake the whole mojave...

**Author's Note:**

> Done for a writing challenge on tumblr, day 7: The bad thing no one talks about.


End file.
